- The Washington Times - Thursday, January 5, 2017

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday that Democrats are trying to “scare” people in their attempts to preserve Obamacare, and pledged a methodical transition as Republicans look to make repealing the law one of their first acts of the new Congress.

“They’re trying to scare Americans into trying to keep Obamacare,” Mr. Ryan said in an interview on Green Bay radio station WTAQ.

“They’re trying to scare Americans into thinking that this February, your health care plan’s going to go away. That’s not true. That’s not happening,” said Mr. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican.

Mr. Ryan said the law is “nothing but a series of broken promises” and that prices and premiums have gone up.

“We will have a transition so that people do not get the rug pulled out from under them,” he said. “This will be done methodically. This [will] be done deliberatively. This will not be done in a way that Democrats are trying to suggest, which is that people are going to wake up one morning this year with no health insurance.”

“That’s not true. They’re just trying to scare people into keeping this failed law, which is getting worse,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday also tried to head off some of the potential arguments against repeal.

“Repeal will plunge Obamacare into a death spiral, they’ll claim — which, they might have missed, is here already … and fast approaching terminal velocity,” said Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican. “The death spiral, right now.”

“We long warned that Obamacare would eventually collapse under its own weight. That’s now exactly what’s happening,” said Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Wednesday that the GOP’s repeal plans would “make America sick again,” a play on President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign slogan to “make America great again.”

• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.

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